So, we drove up to Pittsburgh on Friday so we could spend the holiday with my sister and her family. The visit was lovely and, you know, travel is about learning things. So, here’s my top 10 list of what I learned this weekend:

10. The turnpike was closed because an 18-wheeler turned over. Lesson: We are not really the kind of family that grows closer when locked in a small space 6.5 hours. Especially when 2 of those hours are to travel 1.5 miles.

9. That allergy test that made a giant bump on my son’s back in the doctor’s office…huh. It was right. Chance IS highly allergic to cats. Quick stop to get 15 oz. of liquid Benadryl to counteract Yoda and Anakin’s dander.

8. My sister’s house rules hang right inside the door. They are a little more aspirational than those in the Woosley household. (Like: Get off the counter, please. Seriously. Get down before I spray you with Windex).

7. Mike is not allowed to have the crayon when dying Easter eggs. He could have used it for good…creating messages of hope and good cheer revealed when the egg is dunked in bright colors. Instead, we got “Sherri smells,” “Tammy is hairy,” (which she denied) and “Jordan has warts.” So, he has now been stripped of the egg crayon.

6. Sure, Easter eggs grow in trees. Why not?

5. Lacrosse. live games, personal coaching with Eric, watching MD vanquish UVA. No wonder in Sunday service my 5-year-old questions, into the quiet of prayer, “Jesus went to lacrosse?” No, he went to THE CROSS. Sigh. At least we were visitors that week. And also, the baby in the row behind us made a huge, rude noise. So, I think we’re safe.

4. Making your eggs look like the ones on Pinterest. Truly an Easter miracle.

3. In Pittsburgh, even salads come with french fries. Go Primanti Brothers!

2. cruise control is a little more complicated than I thought. Apparently it is not enough to push the “cruise” button. You must also “set the speed.” Huh. So, I haven’t actually been using cruise control for the past year. I’ve been more pre-using cruise control. Baby steps.